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"Obama And McCain VP Flip Flops"
John McCain's risky choice of Gov. Sarah Palin gives him a running mate who doubles down on his maverick image, may appeal to "hockey moms" and other women, and counters Barack Obama's aura of new-generation change. But he may have undercut his best attack on the Democrat.
If Obama is an empty suit, as McCain has suggested, is Palin suited for the Oval Office herself?
She is younger and less experienced than the first-term Illinois senator, and brings an ethical shadow to the ticket. A governor for just 20 months, she was two-term mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500 where the biggest issue is controlling growth and the biggest civic worry is whether there will be enough snow for the Iditarod dog-mushing race.
"On his 72nd birthday, is this really the one-heartbeat-away he wants to put in the White House?" said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the No. 3 Democrat in the House. "What does this say about his judgment?"
It says that McCain wanted to add a reform-minded politician to his ticket, and an abortion opponent to boot. It says he needs more women to back him over Obama, who just welcomed a passel of Hillary Clinton voters into his fold but remains shaky with white males. And, finally, it's a recognition of how vulnerable McCain is despite polls showing it's close.
He put his money down on a darkhorse to try to change the race.
A suburban mother and PTA member who described her fisherman husband as a proud union member and "champion snow machine racer," Palin brings to the ticket the blue-collar, everyday-American qualities that Sen. Joe Biden brought last week to Obama's ticket — with a distinctively Alaskan twist.
The pick earned McCain praise Friday from evangelicals and other social conservatives who have been skeptical of him. "Conservatives will be thrilled with this pick," said Greg Mueller, a conservative GOP strategist.
The price for that support could be high. Palin's lack of experience undercuts GOP charges that Obama is not ready to be commander in chief. McCain said in April that he was determined to avoid a pick like Dan Quayle, the little-known Indiana senator whom George H.W. Bush put on his ticket in 1988. The choice proved embarrassing.
Quayle "had not been briefed and prepared for some of the questions," McCain said while discussing his vice presidential search. He was clearly aware that, as a septuagenarian, the decision he made about a running mate would be "of enhanced importance."
Four months and one birthday later, McCain's announcement of Palin made clear the paucity of her experience.
"As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself," the statement said, "Gov. Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops."
It is true, as the statement said, that Palin has a record of bipartisan reform. She has a growing reputation as a maverick for bucking her party's establishment and Alaska's powerful oil industry. Palin campaigned on ethics reform in the 2006 GOP primary to defeat incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski, who served 22 years in the U.S. Senate before winning the governor's seat in 2002.
"She's exactly who I need," said McCain, who passed over several more experienced candidates — mostly men. "She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of `Me first and Washington second.'"
The campaign put out a statement saying what McCain did not: "She is ready to be president."
Sen. Joe Biden was chosen Saturday as Barack Obama's running mate.
Sen. Barack Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate raises the question of whether Obama can carry off his message of change with a seasoned Washington politician by his side.
Biden brings to the table an ability to speak knowledgeably about issues ranging from foreign policy to to the country's domestic agenda.
The Delaware senator has held two of the most important jobs in Washington: chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That could be reassuring to voters who worry about Obama's inexperience in national and world affairs.
Biden also has been an early and vociferous critic of President Bush's foreign policies, most notably regarding the war in Iraq.
He voted for the authorization to invade Iraq but conceded that it was a mistake. Obama opposed the authorization, and that gap might give Republicans something to highlight.
Nonetheless, his political experience spans 36 years, and some say that will create a problem for Obama's key talking point of change.
Obama has routinely criticized his GOP rival for being a Washington insider. McCain has charged that Obama is too inexperienced to run the country, especially its international affairs.
So how does Biden help Obama politically? Biden is Roman Catholic. There are nearly 70 million Roman Catholics in the United States, about 20 percent of the electorate, and they can tip the balance in a close contest.
Biden also has roots in Pennsylvania, a swing state. Obama lost the state to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Biden's support could help the campaign win the state in November.
"You're getting national security experience, you're getting enthusiasm, and you hope you're getting some help in those white, working-class, blue-collar towns where Barack Obama needs help," CNN Senior National Correspondent John King said.
"The rap on him is that he talks too long, his speeches don't end, and occasionally he goes off the reservation," King added.
CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley says Biden is a "very one-on-one person" and "has a personal story as well: triumph over tragedy. ... He brings depth to this ticket."
Biden, 65, was first elected to the Senate at age 29 in 1972. Shortly after, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. He weighed resigning but eventually decided to continue with his political career.
Who would have thought that the young "Washington outsider" and "agent of change", one term Senator Barack Obama, would choose a long time "Washington insider" and the epitome of "Washington politics", Senator Joe Biden, as his VP running mate? Who would have thought that the elderly "Washington insider" and GOP maverick, Senator John McCain, would choose a one term Governor and forty four year old mother of five children, the epitome of a "Washington outsider" as his VP running mate. Talk about political flip flopping! Now Obama can't talk about McCain as "politics as usual" and McCain can't talk about Obama as not ready to be Commander In Chief. Obviously both Obama and McCain are going after the blue collar, women and evangelical vote. Both Obama and McCain are politically "running to the center" to capture Independent voters and by November there won't be a lick of difference in their ever changing energy and tax policies, as I see it. Iraq withdrawal is no longer an issue, now that the Bush Administration as signed a deal to be out by 2011. Therefore rest assured there will be a lot of negative campaigning and political "mudslinging" from both Obama and McCain, from both Biden and Palin. In the end, it will all boil down to "image" and how voters perceive the messengers ,not the message. Style will triumph over substance , whether Obama or McCain wins the election. If you really want "change you can believe in" and politics truly outside of Washington, vote for your values instead of the "lesser of two evils". Choose substance over style, genuine change over cosmetic change and vote for a third party that embodies your principles. We don't have to flip flop with Barack Obama and John McCain.
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